Miller Hull

By Mike Bordenaro, contributing editor

The San Ysidro Land Port of Entry was finalized in November 2019 after almost 10 full years of design and construction in three phases. While one might think that the length of the project was due to common federal project tardiness, it was completed on time and on budget, according to the needs of the project manager, the U.S. General Services Administration Public Building Service (GSA PBS).

More than 70,000 cars a day move through the port. More than 85,000 people pass through it daily. And it had to remain open and fully operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for all but a few hours of the 10-year project.

An Intense Process

A major contributor to the success of the project was approval from the GSA PBS for a teaming approach that was more inclusive and far more agile than typical process development and review, according to Rob Misel, a Principal at architect Miller Hull Partnership.

Misel, who was involved with the project from its beginning in 2010, says, “It stands as the most intellectually challenging project I have worked on as a professional. It was also the most intense. It was the most fun. And I think that it demonstrates that large-scale projects can offer a measure of satisfaction when you empower people to take ownership of the process.”

Community Building

The mission of the project was also about community building. “After 10 years, I have a definite affection and a recognition of the fact that socially, culturally and economically San Diego and Tijuana are linked. The face that this project puts on the United States as it looks to Mexico is a very important factor that we considered from day one as architects. And we wanted that face to be welcoming,” Misel says.

Read the full story at commARCH